McCain's Racine Visit

I took my grandson to see Sen. McCain today. Besides getting to see two truly great Americans (John and Cindy), he got to see the freakin' nutballs that permeate our society.

It started with the protesters outside Memorial Hall. I noticed that our esteemed Mayor or someone in City administration, allowed the protesters to be situated directly next to the entrance. There were two buffoons prancing around with McCain and Bush rubber masks acting like total idiots. My grandson's only comment: "What jerks.".

Inside, we were treated to one questioner who demanded to know if McCain believed in the absolute truth of the Book of Revelations; that we are living in the "end times". McCain politely expressed how faith has brought him through tough times, but the nutball wouldn't stop asking about Revelations and finally had to be shouted down by the crowd. Grandson comment: "Sheesh. Why doesn't he just shut up?".

There were one or two other what I call "plants", one from McCain's camp and one from Obama's, but most questions were from people like us. I was very happy to see many college aged people attending and asking questions relevent to their situation.

We were finally treated to the last questioner who brought up some esoteric dispute between the Navajo and Hopi indian tribes. Nothing like closing out with a solid nutcase.

The biggest reactions were in response to the McCain's stance on Energy, the War, and Obama's tax plans.

All in all, a very interesting town hall.

Update: Here's JT's take on the Revelation nutball. Interesting how they describe the question as "about religion".

One man in the balcony asked McCain about religion. McCain responded by saying he believed in an America founded as Judeo-Christian. The man asked McCain to answer his question better and the audience yelled for him to get off the mike. Audience members cheered when a volunteer finally took it from him. The man continued to yell from the balcony and others in attendance yelled for him to sit down, which he finally did.

I'm Glad My Mother is Dead

This isn't as insensitive as it may sound. My mother was a die hard Cubs fan, and with the possibility of them sweeping the series over the Brewers, I would be getting the persistent reminder of how many games the Cubs have taken. She also would have called me after every inning giving me an "update", even she would have known damn well I was watching the game too.

Ten Years Gone

Here's a video from one of my favorite bands, Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin is an exciting band to listen to, whether in the studio or live in concert. They are known to stretch their songs out to unbelievable lengths. This song here can be found on their Physical Graffiti LP.

Now, I present to you, live from Knebworth Festival, Stevenage, England, August 4,1979 -Ten Years Gone.

OPEN BLOG!!!

HEY GUYS!!!!!

I don't know if we've had an open blog here yet,
so here it is -

What's on your mind??

What are you up to this week??

What projects are you working on??
(I need motivation again!!)

Twin Baby Moose in Sprinkler

That's all, just "Twin Baby Moose in Sprinkler."

Have a nice day.

Astrologer Didn't See This One Coming...

Didn't the charts for ANYONE'S sign tell them the ground would shake or something like that?

Happy 50th NASA!

On July 29th, 1958, NASA was established with the passage of the National Aeronautics and Space Act. From its humble beginnings, less than 11 years later, it put the first men on the Moon.

I have mixed feelings about NASA (as does everyone I talk to in my circles). NASA has done a lot of great things: the Moon landings and Hubble are two very high profile projects. But we have to remember the strength of the unmanned program as well including Voyagers, Pioneers, Mariners, Viking, the Mars rovers, Galileo, Cassini, Swift, GLAST, Chandra, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope to name a few.

The Space Shuttle is a real mixed bag. It was very overpromised and underfunded in its design phase and lots of compromises were made. Same thing with the International Space Station. Both had so much more potential but politics and funding held them back. These high profile manned projects have an ongoing conflict with unmanned projects that produce more science per dollar.

Many people criticize NASA for how much it spends without realizing how small its budget is in reality. NASA receives less than 1% of the federal budget. Many people are surprised it is that low.

As we begin the next 50 years, NASA is preparing to retire the shuttle and shoot for the Moon again. There will be several years between the end of the shuttle program and our new rockets being ready to fly. We will have to rely on other nations to supply the ISS and ferry astronauts back and forth. NASA has been asked to go to the Moon and given little extra money to do it. Science could suffer if things do not improve.

At some point, I believe NASA has a chance at a second set of glory days, but its going to take another Sputnik like event, most likely the Chinese beating us back to the Moon. Then we may decide leadership in space is important again.

So Happy Birthday NASA and good luck!

How hard can it be?

It seems that our hometown newspaper's online edition has once again run afoul technically.

All of the comments are showing up on the wrong stories. I have to admit, it's pretty funny.

How hard can it be to maintain a website? This one is always flawless.

White Knight II Unveiled

Richard Branson's company Scaled Composites unveiled White Knight 2. The first of the craft has been named "Eve".

This strange looking craft is part of his space tourism business. You attach a smaller rocket powered craft (still being built) called Spacehip 2 underneath the wing. White Knight Carries Spaceship 2 up to about 50,000 feet. Spaceship 2 is dropped off and ignites its rockets to go on its suboribital flight to space, reaching an altitude of over 60 miles and giving about five minutes of weightlessness.

Their publicity claims this is the largest carbon fiber aircraft, important to make it strong and light. Trips start at $200k and they claim 250 bookings so far.

Well, looks like I picked the wrong line of work if I want $200k to drop on a spaceflight!

Would you help out a Cubs fan?

With the Cubs playing in Milwaukee this week, it brings back a nightmare from last year. The first series the Cubs played at Miller Park, my seat was surround by the most obnoxious, PIAs, gold coast Cubs fans from Chicago. I was ready to tell them I had Leprosy or the plague hoping they would go away. At the end of the game, one of the jerks didn't want to go through the Marquette construction, so he had the gonads to ask me for directions around it. The route I gave him would eventually take him to Madison, if he didn't get lost around 6th and Mitchell in Milwaukee. I was laughing inside when he said "Thanks". Just doin' my part to help a fellow sports fan from the Windy.

Who or What is getting the most press nowadays?

Well, we were told to blog........

With all that is happening lately, who or what do you think is getting the most news coverage. Pick from the menu or insert your own.
1) Brewers
2) McCain
3) Obama
4) Shooting in Racine
5) Packers/Brett Farve/Ted Thompson
6) All of the above
7) None of the above
8) I abstain

Fridays lost video, Sunday version

Sorry guys. I had the week from hell, and has really limited my posting. Sorry for being tardy.

Todays video is from 1987. I was piss drunk in my friends car when he said you have got to hear this band. The band was Marillion and the first song I heard from them is this one. It's called Kayleigh. Enjoy.

More Murder in Racine

"Another murder, this time on 8th Street"

http://news.racinepost.com/2008/07/another-murder-this-time-on-8th-street.html

Not too far from me. Surprised I didn't hear the gunshots. I usually do. Surprised I'm writing this. If you had told me 40 years ago that today I'd be living in Racine and regularly listening to gunshots at night and reading about the results the next morning, I would've scoffed. It's a nightmare, Mayor Becker, a real life nightmare that we're sick of living.

I drove through downtown yesterday. I do that everyday. There were plenty of people out enjoying the sunshine and partying on Monopoly Square. All white, all well-to-do. That's wonderful - for them. What about the rest of us, Mayor Becker?

And before anyone asks, "What would you do?" two things:

1) I'm not the mayor or the police chief. I didn't run for the job. I didn't present myself as qualified for the position nor did I seek it. When I take my auto to a mechanic to have it repaired, I do not expect him to ask me how to fix it. He is the mechanic. That is his job.

2) If it were up to me, I would issue communications and protective gear to block captains or whatever representatives the neighborhoods elect to truly represent them. We'll arm ourselves. Let us patrol our own hoods. We're sick of waiting 45 minutes for the police to show up. We're sick of judges who release the animals back into our neighborhoods and homes over and over again. We're sick of people who don't live here and don't give a damn telling us what our problems are. We're sick of swimming in blood and fear while Becker's constituency parties, parties, and parties downtown. The decadence is staggering, in more ways than one.

All Becker needs now is a violin to play while the city located outside of downtown burns behind him.

Sunday's Lost Video

Stu must be asleep at the wheel this week, so here's a nugget from prehistory:



The drummer looks like Cousin It from the Addams Family.

Remember, there ain't no cure for the summertime blues!

Jokes

Been some time since we have heard from LizardMom and SER with some jokes...maybe it is time. I leave on Monday and will need a lot of humor to get me back to Florida via the route I am taking!

So start them now and keep 'em coming...I will check in on-line during my trek south!

Hope We Don't Have Any British Readers...

Because anyone who feels that they have been defamed by anything any of us write here can sue us in British Court if a SINGLE PERSON in Britain views the post. Yep, and it gets even worse. In British law, it is up to the poster to prove the allegations are true. They court assumes you are viciously lying unless you can prove otherwise. And they can go after ISPs as well who might be inclined to just remove material rather than fight a lawsuit.

Fortunately, a couple of Senators (Lieberman and Specter) filed a bill to protect US citizens.

So, KK, how many British visitors do we get here?

Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)

Eric Idle is at it again...after the rousing success on Broadway of Spamalot, he has now been redoing the Life Of Bryan as an oratorio. Yep, the one that some said is blasphemous about a guy named Bryan born next door to Jesus and ends up mistaken for the Messiah.

It has been around for a while and evolving. They had a fun interview with Eric Idle today on All Things Considered...you can listen to it streaming for free. He says it is not coming to Broadway, but I already want to see it...or better yet, perform in it!

A Modest Proposal to Reduce Crime in Racine

Simple: change the definition of Racine. "Racine" will now be known as that area bounded by the Main Street bridge on the north, 8th Street on the south, City Hall on the west, and the lakefront on the east. In other words, "Racine" will now encompass only that area known as "downtown" previously. This area is beautiful, upscale, and relatively crime-free. And it is obviously what the mayor is referring to whenever he mentions "Racine."

Everything outside of this area will now be known as "Racineville," a troubled area with high crime, high unemployment, and low hopes. Unfortunately, the City of Racine cannot do much to help it's stepsister city, Racineville. Residents of Racineville are on their own when it comes to police protection and other city services. If only the residents of Racineville would embrace the arts and put on airs like the people of Racine proper, then they might see some relief from the urban decay that engulfs them. Too bad, Racineville, but you're not pretentious enough to live safely. You just work for a living and try to raise your children to the best of your ability. Hah! Take a shower and visit Racine sometime to see how the other half lives.

Do You Go to the County Fair?

http://www.racinecountyfair.com/

Here's the "Fair Cam," with images updated every ten seconds: http://www.racinecountyfair.com/faircam.html

I was born and raised in Racine, and have lived here most of my adult life, but I've never been to the County Fair. I've been to the State Fair a number of times. I even went to the old Kraut Festival in Franksville a few times.

So, what's it like? I imagine it's a good deal for families, with something for the kids and the adults. The biggest draw for me probably would be the food and demolition derbies. Nothing like watching cars smash-'em-up on a gut full of brats and cream puffs. Woo-hoo!

Interesting email re: Obama

I can not vouch for the authenticity of this, but the person I got it from has a son in Iraq currently. I checked snopes for this and they have nothing yet.... Interesting if it is true. I am not printing the name of the solder who sent it.



---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to "The War Zone". I wanted to share with you what happened.
He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.

As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.

So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
**********************
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier

How do you handle friendships that die?

How do you handle friendships that die?
I have a friend - REALLY!! that is going thru a tough time
with a friend, she feels the friendship has died.
They have 8 more months on their apartment lease, and
the time isn't going fast enough.

They used to be very close, but things changed
after a promotion of one over the other,
and after a traumatic occurance that they each handled VERY differently.
I don't like to see them go thru this but there seems little
hope of restoring the friendship they had.

I work with them both and will not take sides at work, or at all.
I like them both, will listen to their rantings of each other, and yet
try to stay neutral, which isn't easy!
So far, I haven't been able to be of much insight in helping :(

I've had a couple friendships fade into oblivion, but it always leaves
an empty spot, and it's not a happy place.

How do you handle things like this?

Celine Dion and Neil Diamond Will Shut Down Gitmo?

We have all heard about the controversial camp at Guantanamo and debated whether having water poured down your lungs is torture or just a "dunk in the water".

It turns out that there is a force even stronger than the ACLU and more powerful than the Supreme Court that could put an end to the madness: ASCAP. Yep, the Copywrite Nazis in the recording industry have the power! The problem is that they blast music at the prisoners to try and get them to confess. Everyone knows that this constitutes a public performance and the composers are owed money. Ever wonder why they don't sing "Happy Birthday" to you at your favorite restaurant when they bring you your cake? Yep, ASCAP! And we know that since ASCAP is a bunch of liberal entertainment moguls who want to destroy America, they would love to siphon money from our military using a slogan such as "Royalties, not Bombs!" (Okay, we may need to work on that one).

So who is really winning the War on Terror? Celine Dion, Billy Ray Cyrus, and the composer of the Chicken Dance.

As for me, I just recorded a few choice numbers with Garage Band and sent them to the Pentagon brass with my royalty rates...guaranteed confession or your money back!

"City administrator accused of harassment"

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2008/07/21/local_news/doc488540c04bf69493196434.txt


Wow. I don't know what else to say. I don't know anything about any of it, so it's kind of like gawking at a traffic accident. Morbid curiosity. I wonder how this will play out?

Wanna Laugh?

I can't watch that without laughing. Maybe you've seen it before. It won the 2007 YouTube Video Award for “Most Adorable.” It was even used in a commercial, which you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXIfU-87TZo

I stumbled upon the clip earlier today. I'm still smiling.

Nursing home HELL

Hey gang. I'm doing rehab at a private nursing home in south Keno. I had to have ATT turn on(?) a phone line to the room, then access my
RR account through dial up. I seem to be the only normal person here, but because I'm deaf, I keep getting treated like the aged and mentally infirm. Even so, I'm being treated better here than St. Mary's. I'll never again use that place for anything.

Chest pain is becoming manageable, strength is returning. Docs have me on a weight limit. How can anyone regain strength if they can't lift more than 7 pounds? I'm feircly independant and PT is in cahoots with me. SHHHHH

One flew over the Coocoo's nest comes to mind. I even have a nurse Kratchet. Food miserably sucks here. Got my old dorm fridge in the room and it is well stocked. Not going hungry, but eating very little of their food. I'm sure there are better nursing/rehab places available, just All St's didn't offer any up, and familyn didn't know we could name our own choices besides what All St's loaded on me.

Oh well, anyhow, I'm alive and 18 ndays post op. Health/strength wise, things are looking up. Thanks for the concerns and well wishes

A Scary Glimpse of the Near Future...

From the musically talented group at Jib Jab of course.

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

My favorite part is that you can insert yourself into the video by uploading your picture...not sure I want to show myself being abused like that!

How Gullible Are People?

This is a short interesting video by Penn & Teller talking about banning water!

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/013117.html

The Pie

Okay, here is the recipe.....
Key Lime Coconut Pie
(if using fresh limes, you will need about four juicy limes to produce 1/2 C of juice)

1 Can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 C lime juice (either Key Lime or plain old lime will do)
1 tsp grated lime zest
1 prepared graham cracker crust
1 C heavy cream
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp imitation coconut extract
3 T sweetened flaked coconut
Lime slices (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl wisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Slowly stir in the lime juice and lime zest. Pour filling into crust. Bake 15 minutes or until filling is set. Cool completely and rack.

Beat cream, surgar, and extract until still peaks form. Spread or pipe over pie...sprinkle with the coconut. If desired garnish with lime slices. Chill until serving.

I froze the pies and just put the whipped cream mixture on at the last minute.

I am so glad you enjoyed it KK!

Irregularity Anonymous - and the cry for help

I am Lizardmom.

I am Irregular.

Many of us suffer from irregularity and have come
here to support one another.

I have come to realize that someone that I have found
to be irritating is just suffering from irregularity denial.

This calls for an immediate intervention!!

TJ, it's ok to be irregular. It's ok to come out and admit it.
We're here for you!

I think a roll call may be in order.
We're here to support you, TJ.

We would like to invite anyone suffering from Irregularity
to join us, We're an unconventional support group.

We are Irregularity Anonymous

I am Lizardmom

I am irregular.

I'm worried!!

I'm very worried about Huck, we haven't seen anything from or about him since his cry for help. Huck, please let us know how you're doing, we're very concerned!!

Madame Zoltar: I Predict a Wonderful Time at the Bloggers' Picnic

See you there, or be square!

How to Join the Evil League of Evil

Joss Whedon, the creative force behind Buffy, Firefly and Serenity among others, took the writers strike last year to work on Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, who longs to join the Evil League of Evil and win the heart of the woman at the laundromat (Felica Day) who falls in love with his nemisis, Captain Hammer.

Parts I and II are online...the climactic Part III goes up tonight at midnight EST. Starting Sunday, you will have to buy them at iTunes so watch them for free while you can!

Yes, check out Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and see why you should be careful about blogging your evil plans!

Would YouSend Your Kids to This Daycare?

A local priest wants to open a daycare center in Rochester in the woods down a loooong unmarked service road, staffed by nuns from all over the world (Africa, Poland, etc-- he currently uses them to make items to sell as fundraisers; pretty much free labor, which I guess is who would be watching the kids).
Is it just me, or is this completely creepy?

I also heard that the original plans include bedrooms and only 6 parking spots for a center to accomodate 40 kids.
Strange.
http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2008/07/18/local_news/doc48802025b5b35163525381.txt

Ever wonder why the Edmund Fitzgerald didn't make it..?

Lake Superior in November..
'Gitche Gumee'

Ever wonder why the Edmund Fitzgerald didn't make it..?

A little taste of the seafaring life on the Inland Seas .

These photographs were taken in November 2006
aboard Misener Steamships MV Selkirk Settler
as she crossed Lake Superior in typical November weather.

The first pic is in calm water..

Anarchists Gather in Sheboygan

"Waldo - Some 150 anarchists from throughout the United States and Canada descended on a strip of private land this week in this Sheboygan County village for four days of workshops, including some focused on strategizing for demonstrations at the upcoming Democratic and Republican national conventions."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=773869

They "eschew government, capitalism and conformity. The collective has no members and no leader. But the convergence had plenty of policy and procedure."

So, they believe in no rules, but you gotta follow the rules if you want to believe in no rules, too.

"Whatever It Is, I'm Against It" - Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho Marx), in Horse Feathers.

"U.S. hits weight marker: 1 in 4 officially obese"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obese-states-18-jul18,0,1912364.story

I know that I'm doing my part. I usually eat two meals a day. In the evening on into the night, though, I'm online, or watching TV, or watching a DVD, or listening to music, or any combination, all of them on my computer, while snacking on garbage, primarily ice cream and chocolate. I was amazed the other day at the doctor's office to find that I'd lost 6 pounds. The heat must be sweating it out of me.

Friday's Lost Video

Hey Guys....

I've been on Vacation this week, and keeping kinda busy and quiet, but had to continue my friday "tradition".

This weeks lost video is "These are the days" By 10,000 Maniacs. Natalie Merchant's voice can melt my soul. Enjoy!

I am working on a BIG project and I don't like to be alone!!

OK, time to pull out the pom poms, I have a project and I need reinforcements!!

OK, task at hand is totally overhauling my recipe collection, organizing it in a saner way, etc. Those that come out Saturday will see what I'm tackling and I'll have a deadline to show progress by.
It's time to pick another cleaning project, daunting task, whatever. This is to gather moral support and also to be a place that gives us a boost because we will feel the need to check back with progress, which is exactly what I need!!
Who's with me??
How can I help cheer you on??
Yes, I know the person who's hands these are, and no, they're not mine.
All I can say is that is it a product of making Mounds Balls, Mmm Mmm!!
Let's do this!!!

Know any good jokes for a Tuesday?

Sex In The Shower

In a recent survey, people from Detroit have proved to be the most likely to have had sex in the shower !

In the survey, carried out for leading toiletries firm 'Brut', a huge 86% of Detroit residents said that they have enjoyed sex in the shower.

The other 14% said they hadn't been to prison ....

Bye-Bye Budweiser

So, what difference does this make? Just the loss of another American company? This story says that Anheuser-Busch's ad budget for sports is humungous and will be slashed by a third: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2008-07-14-beer-merger_N.htm

Another victim of the "global economy." What happens when the global market is all gobbled up? Do we switch to a galactic economy?

No, Brett! Don't Do It!

There is talk of Brett Farve coming out of retirement. I am sad to report that if he does, he is doomed.

Yep, he made the mistake of appearing on the cover of the Madden NFL football game, subjecting himself to the dreaded Madden Curse.

Good luck, Brett!

Seeing More Rummage Sales?

I think I am. I've never paid much attention, but it seems to me that I'm seeing more rummage, garage, and yard sales than before. I assume it's a sign of the economic times.

I have a friend in Milwuakee who shops the secondhand stores and rummage sales regularly for items to sell on eBay (and to add to his own prodigious collection of junk). I asked him if he is seeing more rummage sales. His answer: "Definitely." He always gets good deals. He has a knack for it. Now, he's getting great deals.

Actually, I'm lucky to be limited in my storage to what I can fit in my closets and a bin downstairs. Before my mother moved, I had access to a single car garage. Over the years, I completely cleaned that thing out at least three times. Each time, it filled back up again with my junk. If I had more room, I'd probably be out at those sales, too.

Good Science on a U-Haul Trailer? Believe It!

U-Haul trailers have been known their quirky graphics on the side for some time. It turns out U-Haul has some scientifically literate people designing these graphics. Exhibit #1, the graphic they are using for Iowa.
There was a large meteor impact near Manson, Iowa about 74 million years ago and left a crater about 24 miles across! But it gets better. There is an equation on graphic which tells you how far ejecta will land from the impact site...and yes, it's a CORRECT equation!

The Maryland graphic, although not as scientifically intensive, pays tribute the Goddard Spaceflight Center and the Hubble Space Telescope.
California gets a nod for the Jet Propulsion Lab and its role in the Mars rovers.
The California image leaves a little to be desired to be honest. Earth would appear as no more than a dot from the surface of Mars. They depict Earth closer to how it might appear from the Moon.

Colorado has a nice image as well paying tribute to the NOAA Space Environment Center in Boulder.

This is pretty good as prominences frequently follow the Sun's magnetic field and make those distinctive loops. You can also see granulation on the Sun's surface and Earth's magnetic field is depicted as being stretched out by the solar wind. Pretty good overall.
And one more for the road, the West Virginia one is particularly close to my heart.


The Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is the largest full steerable dish in the world with a diameter of 100 meters. You will notice there is an equation on this graphic as well. It is the famous Drake equation that, if you knew all the quantities, would tell you how many intelligent civilizations there are in the universe. I spent some time at NRAO and worked on measuring radio frequency interference being detected by the Green Bank Telescope.

The space science ones tend to catch my attention, but there are some nice life science ones as well. You can find a complete list on U-Haul's web site. Wisconsin is not currently listed as having a graphic.

Although I enjoyed these graphics, I am not quite as enthralled with the ones for New Mexico and Nevada!

How to Get People to Take Mass Transit

Well, at least among men.



You can also read about it from Reuters.

Did RUSD Get Lucky?

"Dr. James Shaw, a professor at UW-Madison, is the surprise front-runner for Racine Unified's vacant superintendent's job. He also looks like the best candidate yet to apply for the job. Shaw has been a teacher, administrator and researcher, served as head of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators and was named state superintendent of the year."

http://news.racinepost.com/2008/07/superintendent-shaw-strong-candidate.html

My first thought was, what's his problem?

My second was, get him to sign a contract before he sobers up.

Friday's Lost Video

This weeks lost video is a classic from two members of the Talking Heads - Milwaukee's Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth better known as "Tom Tom Club". The song is Genius of Love from 1982. Credit the grove to Grandmaster Flash's song "It's Nasty". (Prepare for a Diva in next week video)

The New “Johnny Cash”

For those of you who enjoy listening to Johnny Cash, this is a 15 year old with an amazing voice.

'The New Johnny Cash’

Black Holes: Political Correctness Gone Wild!

I tend to be on the liberal side, but even I know political correctness run amok. The story takes us to Dallas where County Commissioners were discussing problems with central collections office. Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield called the office a "black hole" for all the paperwork the office loses.

Commissioner John Wiley-Price piped up and and said, "Excuse me!" and offered the alternative terminology that the office was a "white hole". The Judge, Thomas Jones, even demanded an apology for the remark!

So let's review. A black hole (originally called a gravitationally completely collapsed object so you can see why there were looking for another name) is a big massive object crammed into a very small space that has a gravitational field from which even light cannot escape, hence the name black hole. If something falls into a black hole, its lost forever. The name has bipartisan support generally as both liberals and conservatives like saying any program they don't support is a black hole for taxpayer dollars.

Now a white hole, although most scientific evidence points against their existence, would be the opposite, a point from which matter is constantly ejected. If the office looked like a tornado of paper just appeared inside, then I might consider it a white hole.

So in short, black holes have nothing to do with race, Mr. Wiley and Judge Jones. Racism is a real problem in this country and crying wolf damages your credibility when trying to deal with instances of genuine racism.

Idiot Tax II

Yes, they do walk among us. Good cause, bad idea. I can't for the life of me figure out why these idiots think it is ok to put so many people at risk.

What should they do with this latest idiot?

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/07/08/2008-07-08_times_climb__again_man_scales_papers_hea.html

Cigarette Cop

Just trying to keep the pot stirred.

For the record, I quit nearly 13 years ago, after smoking for 30 years. I say nothing to anybody about their smoking. If you're in my apartment or my vehicle, you have to ask permission. The answer is usually yes. I'll only talk about quitting if you ask me, and then I'll tell you how I quit: talk to everyone you know who has quit; try every possbile method; pray/meditate; exercise; try, try again. I finally did it cold turkey. My sister used the patch. I have never regretted it.

Am I an Airline Passenger or Criminal Defendant?

Okay, this is so far out there, I seriously thought a lot of people were taken in a by a hoax until I went to the companie's web site and saw they issued a statement on this!

Lamperd Less Lethal is marketing a system of electric shock inducing bracelets they think all airline passengers should wear. Yep, if you got on a plane, you would have one of these little bracelets on that a flight attendant could activate and give you a pretty good shock, much like a Taser. Lamperd even has a fear mongering promotional video promoting the system (although it appears to be an older video, the update on their web site is dated July 8th, 2008 so they are still promoting this product).



Yeah, I can't see any problem with this can you? Flight attendants are highly trained law enforcement officers who would never accidentally shock someone. I imagine people with pacemakers and certain medical conditions would have to get waivers from wearing these (and terrorists are far too stupid to think of getting fake/forged medical papers...I bet the only people not wearing them on a targeted flight would be the terrorists!) Oh, and no chance someone could gain control of the system and use it in the hijacking. I have seen way too many "unhackable" systems hacked.

Another feature of the bracelet is the ability to track passengers in the airport. They will know what shops you visited, how long you were in the restroom, what restaurant you ate at and anything else about your movements from the time you check in to the time you leave your destination airport after your flight.

Fortunately, it looks like the TSA is not on board with this yet, but I will be keeping an eye on them.

The loss of liberty is a gradual process...first you are asked to wear one on a plane. Then you are asked to wear one in certain government buildings. Then...well, you get the idea.

Think I am going to develop an exclusionary medical condition real fast!

OPEN letter to the

"Do you read lips?" No.

"AH HA That proves you can" How do uou explain that just knowing that one bit of lip reading doesn't make you fluent. Like someon saying "Gesunhiet" and being told they can read, talk and understand German

She tried her hardest to make a point that I was being difficult on purpose. It don’t matter all the dangerous transfers I’ve done. Yesterdays was BAD and DANGEROUS and extremely painful. Why? Because they tried to use a lift with a dead battery. The same lift they tried to use yesterday but NEVER plugged in to recharge. So I asked Miss AH HA if she had unplugged it when she got it. “No, it works just fine (until they put a load (me) on it).” *an aside. My door is wide open. I’m sitting on a commode. One of the GOOD aides just walked in and asked if I wanted the door shut. You know, I hadn’t even thought about it with all the other hell going on.

Anyway, I said this bed lifts you may want to use it to lift as you are determined to get me sitting. “No, we know what we’re doing (why I almost fell out yesterday with a lift and sling not made for each other.) Well, you know what happened when my weight was drug off the bed and the sling went down four inches lower than the commode. While I’m not supposed to put weight on my arms, they sure did in their attempts to get me up on the now higher than me commode. At least all I said was ow ,ow ow, ow ow.

So again….. GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!! You don't ever want to use _________ If you can go to ANY other hospital.

TICK TOCK OUCH

Yesterday was a good day. Today is kind of sucky. For a guy that never smoked cigarettes, I have no idea how the smokers make it through this. Before I went in I had no problem inhaling 2,000 ccs ofair on the breath machine and now if I get 1,000 it HURTS. The day after I honestly thought it was my last day. It felt that bad. I just hopI have more days like yesterday. While not a cake walk, it felt multitudes better than Friday/Saturday. I only came to awareness Friday at 8:45am. Too much double vision to read the papers, but I did manage to read about the guy that faked several heart attacks. Boy, wait until he gets a real one.

Anyhow, they don't let you sellp in a hospital. They waken you every night with tests and procedures like breathing excersizes. Oh UGHHHH Low potasium. If you've ever done a realy nasty shot, then that's potasium. Done. I chug it like a shot of speed rack tequila then chase with cranberry juice. Good thing I'm back on a regular diet as I followed with nthree chocolate covered peanuts. Another blood test nin two hours. God I ho-e i9t comes up.

Anyway, I'm alive. When I am stuck doing the potasium I wonder if its all worth it, but will think so once I'm passed this hurdle.

Biggest Stories from the Olympic Trials

I have been watching some of the Olympic swimming and track and field trials. How about you? Here are some of my picks for the interesting stories (in no particular order)

Michael Phelps - won every event he entered, will go for 8 golds. What else can you say?

Dara Torres at the age of 41 qualifying for the Olypmics in the 100m freestyle and 50 meter freestyle! Sets American record in the 50m.

Tyson Gay runs 9.68 seconds in the 100m final and then pulls a muscle and falls in the 200m! Ouch! What will happen to him at the games?

Amanda Beard made another Olypmic team, her fourth.

Bernard Legat won the 5000m and is going for the double in the 1500m later tonight. He lives in Tucson so he is my hometown favorite.

16 year old Jordan Hasay made the finals of the 1500meters where she finished 10th. Look for here in 2012!

I am sure there are others...what's your favorite so far?

You're invited to join fellow bloggers for a picnic at the BEACH!!!

You are invited to join other bloggers at a blogger picnic at North Beach's Oasis.
The date - Saturday, July 19th, 11am
Contact person - ME!! @ lizardmom@wi.net
RSVP SOON!!!
Please bring a dish to share, for ideas or to claim one as your own, just drop me a line and you're in!! Hope to hear from you soon!!

Sturtevant Building Inspectors Car Tagged

This vehicle belongs to the building inspector in Sturtevant. It used to be a police car. Where this vehicle is located is right around where some punk ass kids were egging cars, houses, and cop cars on July 3rd after the fireworks. Guess they might have gotten a little ticked because the cops were out looking for them. Looks like there are some childish, out of control kids now roaming and tagging in the village.

Look, Up in the Sky! It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a UFO! It's the Moon?!?

A story out of Britain making the rounds tells that tale of a woman who saw a UFO hovering in the sky nearby. She called 999 (the British version of 911) to report it and ask someone to investigate. Police responded quickly to find (well, I gave it away in the headline) the Moon.

We can all have a good laugh at someone mistaking the Moon for a UFO, but it really is more common than you would believe. Venus, Jupiter and the Sun reflecting off of low flying planes are other objects commonly mistaken for UFOs. We have satellites that can be quite bright, Iridium flares and the International Space Station. Old satellites that are no longer controlled can tumble and appear to get brighter and dimer or even "blink". On rare occasions, a fuel tank on a spent satellite or rocket explodes which can cause quite a light show.

Then there are other natural phenomena including meteors (and the uncommon point meteors), halos, glories, Sun dogs (and sometimes Moon Dogs), ball lightning, crepescular rays, light pillars and sprites to name a few.

So, what's the point? Any one of these things can and has been reported as a UFO by people who don't spend much time looking at the sky. And the people who reported them are not crazy, lying, or stupid, but inexperienced skywatchers. Frequently reports are cited from law enforcement officers or pilots as "proof" of UFOs existence since they are considered trusted and reputable. And they may be...however, unless they are well trained in astronomical and meteorlogical atmospheric phenomena, they do not have the ability to properly evaluate these phenomena regardless of whether the person is an air force pilot, a sheriff, or two crazy high school kids making out in a farmers field.

So start watching the sky. If you see something unusual, take good notes on time, your observing location, direction and elevation in the sky, and weather conditions. Then do a little resarch and odds are you will find your answer.

Happy 4th of July and Happy Aphelion!

As we kick back to celebrate the Fourth of July, we are also sitting farther from the Sun than any other day during the year. Earth's orbit around the Sun is not a perfect circle...sometimes we are farther from the Sun and sometimes we are closer. It comes as a surprise to most people that we are closest to the Sun in July!

We call this aphelion and are 152.6 million kilometers away from the Sun today. Six months from now in January, we will make our closest approach at 147.5 million kilometers away from the Sun. So the Sun is a little less intense now (averaged over the Earth) than it is in January. Of course, the seasons are due to the fact that Earth's rotational axis is tilted 23.5 degrees. The Sun is high in the sky and more intense in the northern hemisphere during our summer months and the days are longer giving us a nice warm summer.

It may also surprise you to know that the average global temperature is highest in July when Earth is farthest from the Sun! Its almost 4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in January when we are close to the Sun! What the heck is going on here?

The answer can be found by taking a look at a globe. Notice that the northern hemisphere has a lot more land while the southern hemisphere has a lot more water. Land heats up and cools down very quickly compared to water (water has a very high heat capacity which means it heast up and cools down very slowly compared to land...living next to a large lake in Racine, I was very aware of that fact!) Therefore, the northern hemisphere heats up very quickly in June and July when the intense summer Sun beats down. In January, the southern hemisphere's summer, the energy from the Sun is larger, but the water heats up VERY slowly resulting in a lower average global temperature when we are closer to the Sun!

You can do a simple experiement to observ this effect. Take a digital camera. Get some solar film to cover the lens (you can raid eclipse shades available for a couple of dollars at American Science and Surplus in Milwaukee). Cover your lens with the solar filter and take a picture of the Sun sometime in the next few weeks. Wait until December or January and get your camera and filters our and take the picture again (be sure to use the same zoom setting!) Put the pictures side by side on your comptuer screen and measure the diameter of the Sun in pixels on your computer. You will find the Sun is smaller in July than in January. The Sun appears slightly smaller when it is farther away!

As I go out to watch fireworks after the improv show tongiht, I will be grateful that we are slighlty farther away from the Sun right now as the temperature will probably still be in the upper 90s here!

Going to the Parade?

In all the places I've lived in Racine, I've never been more than a block from Main Street, if not right on the street itself. The parade finds me. The past few years, I've holed up while the cat hides under the bed. I may take a peek at the pre-parade, or at portions of the goings-on, but I'm not up for sitting through the whole thing. It's a great time for family and kids, though, and I think it's grand that the city comes together for an event like this.

I took mom grocery shopping this morning and the store was busy. Lots of people buying soda and beer. You can feel an urgency in the air. On Main Street, the No Parking After Midnight signs are up, barricades dropped off at intersections, trash barrels strategically placed (there's never enough), vendors' trucks and trailers parked near the route. Everyone is getting ready. Everyone is getting set.

Tomorrow, everything goes!

Friday's lost video - July 4th edition

Not so much a lost video, but a fitting one.

Ray Charles - America the Beautiful. Nothing more needs to be said......

TICK TOCK

They put it off a day so they could torture me with tests. I go in about a half hour. Jeez but yesterday sucked. Glad when thiis one is done

A Full Sized Model of Phoenix: 1 inch = 1 inch

I have blogged before about the Mars Phoenix Lander. It is controlled from Tucson (near the corner of 6th and Drachman for those of you who know the city). I visited the building today and snapped a few pictures I thought I would share.

The exterior of the building is covered with a neat mural created by a University of Arizona art class.

The mural depicts Phoenix launching from Earth and landing on Mars. Small squares around the mural have everything from a Delta II rocket to Peter Smith (Principal Investigator or PI) and Marvin Martian.

Inside is the PIT. The PIT contains a full size model of the rover with working copies of the science instruments. They use it for testing...before they send a command to Mars, they send it to this guy and make sure it does what they want. If they want to test something before trying it on Mars, this is where it gets tested.

This model is not designed to look quite like the real thing. they also have a model that looks the same on the outside, but does not have working science instruments.


Oh, and we should zoom in on the stereo camera.

Separated at birtht?

It shouldn't be too surprising that the eye structures are similar. Wall-e probably is designed to see in 3-D which works better with two eyes and so is the camera on Phoenix!

Olympic Trials 100 Meter Champion: Tyson Homosexual?!?

I didn't believe this story when I first saw it and didn't post it until I have had some time to vet it, but it appears legit. One News Now, a conservative web site decided to install a filter to change the word "gay" to "homosexual" in news stories. The problem is, well, some people have the last name Gay, including a young man named Tyson who blazed a 9.68 seconds in the US Olympic Trials 100 meter dash.
According to the Washington Post story, "Fred Jackson, news director of OneNewsNow, tells the Sleuth his organization has now fixed the software glitch. "We took the filter out for that word," he said, without uttering the "G" word.".

He can't even SAY the word!

Now that they have shown their colors and admit they edited other people's stories to fit their agenda, I wonder what other edits are occurring.